Royal Deaths from Falls

compiled by Susan Flantzer

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

Henri II, Count of Champagne

  • Born: July 29, 1166
  • Parents: Henri I, Count of Champagne and Marie of France (daughter of King Louis VI of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine)
  • Married: Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem in 1192
  • Died: September 10, 1197, aged 31, in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem, now in Israel
  • Buried: Holy Cross Church in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem, now in Israel
  • Wikipedia: Henri II, Count of Champagne

Henri was the ruler of Jerusalem but he never used the title King. He died after falling from a  window at his palace in Acre. Chronicles from the time say that a window lattice or balcony gave way as he leaned against it.

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Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr of Wales

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr falling to his death

  • Born: circa 1196
  • Parents: Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great), Prince of Gwynedd (in Wales) and Tangwystl
  • Died: March 1, 1244, aged about 48, at the Tower of London in London, England
  • Buried: Aberconwy Abbey in Wales
  • Wikipedia: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr

Gruffydd’s father Llywelyn Fawr was the de facto Prince of Wales and dominated Wales for 45 years. Gruffydd was held a prisoner by his half-brother Dafydd, who took over Gwynedd upon his father’s death. Following a successful invasion of the Welsh borders by King Henry III of England in 1241, Dafydd was obliged to hand over Gruffydd into Henry III’s custody. Gruffydd was taken to London and imprisoned in the Tower of London. On March 1, 1244, Gruffydd died while attempting to escape from the Tower of London. He used an improvised rope made from bedsheets and lowered himself from his window but the rope broke and he fell to his death.

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Carlo II, Duke of Savoy

  • Born: June 23, 1489 in Turin, Duchy of Savoy now in Italy
  • Parents: Carlo I, Duke of Savoy and Blanche of Montferrat
  • Died: April 16, 1496, aged 6, at the Castle of Moncalieri in Moncalieri, Duchy of Savoy now in Italy
  • Buried: Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Scala in Moncalieri, Duchy of Savoy now in Italy
  • Wikipedia: Carlo II, Duke of Savoy

Carlo II became Duke of Savoy at the age of seven months upon the death of his father. He died from injuries after falling out of his bed.

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Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

  • Born: March 19, 1851, at Ludwigslust Palace, in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
  • Parents: Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II and Princess Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz
  • Married: Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia in 1878
  • Died: April 10, 1897, aged 46, at Villa Wenden in Cannes, France
  • Buried: Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum on the grounds of Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
  • Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

From an early age, Friedrich Franz suffered from asthma and severe breathing difficulties.  The official version of his death is that during an asthma attack, while he was gasping for air on the garden terrace, he fell down the terrace stairs. Friedrich Franz was found by servants and carried back to the villa where he died shortly thereafter in the presence of his family.  However, rumors quickly spread that he had died by suicide.

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Albert I, King of the Belgians

  • Born: Palais de la Régence in Brussels, Belgium
  • Parents: Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
  • Married: Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria in 1900
  • Died: February 17, 1934, aged 58, climbing on the Roche du Vieux Bon Dieu in Marche-les-Dames, Namur, Belgium
  • Buried: Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
  • Unofficial Royalty: Albert I, King of the Belgians

Albert was an avid mountain climber. Sadly, this would bring about his early death. While climbing alone on the Roche de Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, Albert fell to his death. According to official investigations, there are two possible explanations for his death: (1) Albert leaned against a boulder at the top of the mountain, which became dislodged causing him to fall. (2) The rock formation where his rope was tied broke causing him to fall about sixty feet.

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